Genoa, Flamingo and Mad in Ska: what a week-end!
Mad in Ska live in Genoa for their 10th birthday
For the first time since the existence of Radio Punk, or rather, for the first time ever, the two who are writing the report have gone to Genoa. The reason is soon said and is noble, since on the day of our departure the day 2 of the Venezia Hardcore Fest would take place, a festival that attracts a lot of people from more or less everywhere and that is an hour from home. But we like complicating our lives, but above all, friendship and curiosity come first. So, when Elvira, a friend and member of Radio Punk family, told us that for her birthday she would organize the live show of her favourite band, Mad In Ska, we decided that we would go there! New band, new city and we would spend time with a special person.
Our departure is at dawn and after a gruelling journey we arrive in Genoa. After placing our inseparable backpacks, containing part of the distro and the inevitable Radio Punk flag, we go immediately to visit Gippy, Roberto and we stop by Alberto and Emi of Flamingo Records. We could spend a lot of hours talking and praising this amazing shop, a real breath of fresh air. We simply tell you that you have to come here, to this shop near the Caricamento underground station, because in a city centre increasingly full of trivial shops, this little temple of punk and underground culture comes out. The guys deserve a lot of support, go there, let yourself be dragged into the tide of vinyls, some of which produced by their own label and have a chat with Albe and Emi, possibly with a beer in your hand!
After closing, we separate, Albe and Emi go to Livorno to the Ex Caserma Occupata for a punk rock concert, while Roberto, Gippy and us go on drinking beer and a delicious concoction, the Asinello (Donkey).
Alas we can not convince them to come to the CSOA Pinelli with us, so we say goodbye and reach Elvira, we wish her happy birthday and place our mini-stand. We introduce ourselves and we also have the opportunity to have a chat with Mad In Ska, who came to Italy for two dates (at Eterotopia in Milan the day before) for their 10th birthday tour.
Despite the unusual formula of the unique group – it would have been nice to see some young bands or at least one or two bands opening – probably for technical reasons, there are not many people but as soon as Mad In Ska start they all rush under the stage. People are enthusiast and for the whole duration of the set, about an hour and a half, they will dance and let themselves be carried away by the upbeat rhythms. On the other hand, the French, as mentioned in our interview, are endowed with contagious enthusiasm and play like crazy. Theirs is a ska punk very similar to legendary bands like Ska-P, but with the peculiarity that often in some parts it separates the two genres, offering more frantic riffs and rhythms in the refrain and giving space to winds and clean and upbeat phrasing in the stanzas. A nice note, the stage of Pinelli, despite its medium size, can not contain all the 9 members on the front row: the result is that bassist, keyboardist and drummer will be hidden, but instead of being discouraged, they will play like crazy!
In addition to older and consolidated songs, such as “Hijos de la Revolución”, their best known track, the band performed the new single “Et on ira” and also some unpublished songs and gave a picture and a moment of great emotion to Elvira, with a song specially written for her! What a show! What to say, after a few games of foosball, we go home with a big smile, given the cheerfulness and light-heartedness given by Mad In Ska and their live show and also with an objective consideration: a band like this, serious, musically precise, original, prepared and professional has the only misfortune to have happened in a historical and geographical context where the ska punk scene is reduced to a few people who work for it and very few who listen to it. Then let’s add that there were a lot of concerts around and that – a problem of all the underground music – there is no curiosity to discover new bands that write their own songs, and the die is cast. However, very good Mad in Ska, very good those present who supported them and congratulations to Elvira who pulled up together with Pinelli this beautiful evening.
We close the report by thanking Elvira for her hospitality, the Sunday tour of Genoa and her friendship, Pinelli, Mad In Ska, Roberto, Albe, Emi and Gippy! See you soon guys, what a weekend!
